Rain put the breaks on last week’s market, so we’re open this Sunday from 10am-4pm. Come on up and pick up fresh cucumbers (perfect for pickling), cherry tomatoes, greens, and extra-amazing fresh herbs. We have 40′ of basil that is begging to be made into pesto. Come on up!
Making kombucha–the vinegar and tea drink that has become a Brooklyn craze–is a tradition passed along to Rich Awn from his mother, Ruth. On a beautiful Sunday in early August he passed the mother from his mother along to farmhands and visitors at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm. For more on Rich and his delicious product, see http://mombucha.wordpress.com/ (Photo by Bob Brinkman)
Join us! $10 at the door (and two scoops of ice cream with that!) or $5 if you bring your own homemade ice cream in a pint container to swap. We’re following the rules of the Brooklyn Ice Cream club–check them out for details.
At 2pm we’re teaching a free workshop on making local ice cream flavors…yum!
It’s not every day that you can ride a bicycle on a rooftop–but farmers and volunteer green thumbs at the Eagle Street Rooftop Farm were offered that unusual opportunity yesterday during the weekly 2pm FREE workshop with Times UP! , New York’s bicycle-friendly environmental direct-action group. An all-volunteer run organization that dishes out multiple free workshops a week, Times UP! is known for its bicycle-focused organizing, including the group ride “Critical Mass.” Mechanics from Times UP! brought two bikes up to the farm: a long cargo bike perfect for carrying pounds of fresh tomatoes and peppers, and a bicycle ready to be deconstructed and explained for the benefit of Eagle Street’s green thumbs. An hour later, wiser on the skills of flat tire-fixing, ball-bearing adjusting, and brake-tightening, the farmers went back to farming (finishing up sowing seed-saved vetch between rows of kale) and Time’s UP! mechanics rode back to their work space under the Williamsburg Bridge. Next time we farmers need to borrow a cup of sugar–or fix up a new cargo bike to transport compost back to the farm–we know who to visit!
Hurrah, the cucumbers and tomatoes are coming in with unparalleled abundace! We’ve cast our vote for Isis Candy as our new favorite cherry, and have been sneaking sweet bites as we harvest. It’s a real treat to eat something so sweet in this heat. Join us at our Farm Market this Sunday from 10-4p, lend a hand and learn a little as a volunteer from 9am-4pm. Join us at 2pm for a basic bicycle care workshop with the mechanics at Times UP! our neighborhood bike cooperative under the Williamsburg Bridge. For over a decade, Times UP! has led the famous Critical Mass rides, offering their expertise and services on a generous donation basis to get the world healthier, happier bicycle riders (among other awesome things). Their mechanics will show you how to get your bike ready for the veggie-laden rides home from the Farmer’s Market, from tightening your breaks to fixing a flat, what to grease and how to grease it. Come on up!
Under a hot and glorious July sun, four beekeepers representing two coasts opened and examined the beehives at Eagle Street Rooftop Farm for a crowd of curious future-‘keepers. As we passed the frames around the crowd, our visitors leaned close to look for workers, brood, larva and capped honey in the comb. Each beekeeper–Kurt, Tim, Meg and Sam–had their own narrative, but all had come from medication-reliant, commercial-style beekeeping to a more hands-off, organic style of keeping bees. To read more about their work, check out http://www.backwardsbeekeepers.com/
Celebrate the longest days of the year at SEEDSTOCK! a benefit concert featuring Franz Nicolay, Elizabeth Devlin, Soft Black, the Sharp Lads, My Gay Banjo and the Shivers. Tickets now available online at Seedstock.eventbrite.com
Doors at 7pm on Saturday, July 9th!
Ben Franklin said it best when drafting up our new commercial goals as a country itching for independence in 1769–
…There seem to be but three Ways for a Nation to acquire Wealth. The first is by War as the Romans did in plundering their conquered Neighbours. This is Robbery. The second by Commerce which is generally Cheating. The third by Agriculture the only honest Way; wherein Man receives a real Increase of the Seed thrown into the Ground, in a kind of continual Miracle wrought by the Hand of God in his favour, as a Reward for his innocent Life, and virtuous Industry.
Happy Independence Day, all–and we’ll see you on Sunday, July 11th!
Who doesn’t want to grow the perfect tomato? Isn’t that the gateway food for all green thumbs? This Sunday at 2pm, learn how to grow healthy, disease resistant tomatoes with high fruit yeilds simply by following the simple pruning and staking techniques early on in the season.
These beauties in the picture were grown by our heroine Kira Kenney of Evolutionary Organics–you can find her at the Grand Army Plaza farmers’ market on Saturdays.